Kobel in, Chilwell out: What Chelsea need in January transfer window

Cameron Smith

• 23 Dec 2024 14:30 GMT
• 4 min read

Chelsea have spent over €1.2 billion on new signings since Clearlake Capital’s arrival in 2022, but their start to this campaign has still come as a slight surprise.

Enzo Maresca has denied suggestions that his side are involved in a title race, however the Blues are well placed to pounce on any Liverpool slip-ups thanks to their incredible early season form.

Cole Palmer continues to win games on his own, Moises Caicedo has developed into one of the best midfielders in world football and Nicolas Jackson has finally found his goalscoring boots.

READ MORE: Five players who could join Chelsea in January

As a result, Chelsea head into the January transfer window in an extremely strong place and without any major gaping holes.

However, the Blues could still upgrade their first-team squad and FootballTransfers has run through the transfer business Chelsea could potentially conduct.

READ MORE: Williams in, Sterling out - What Arsenal need in January transfer window

Goalkeepers

Goalkeeper appears to be the biggest problem in Chelsea’s team, despite the fact that Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Djordje Petrovic have all joined the club over the past 18 months.

Sanchez is currently the undisputed number one at Stamford Bridge, although Jorgensen is staking a claim to usurp the Spaniard thanks to a string of excellent performances in the Europa Conference League.

Sanchez has pulled off several incredible saves so far this campaign, keeping Chelsea in matches as a result, however his inconsistency is a problem and he is often sloppy when playing out from the back.

Mike Maignan would be the ideal replacement, but he is likely to remain with AC Milan, meaning Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel could be turned to.

Defenders

Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi and Ben Chilwell have all been heavily linked with a January exit, but the former two are likely to remain due to Wesley Fofana’s injury record.

Disasi could feasibly leave, given Josh Acheampong’s new contract and the arrival of Aaron Anselmino from Boca Juniors, however Badiashile is expected to remain at Stamford Bridge.

Chilwell, on the other hand, is set to leave Chelsea if he can find a new club. The ex-England international has only made one appearance so far this season and with Maresca’s system unsuited to his style of play, a departure feels inevitable.

Tomas Araujo and Illia Zabarnyi are reportedly on Chelsea’s radar, while Ousmane Diomande is also a long-term target. One of those three could be targeted if Disasi leaves, but Chelsea are likely to be quiet on the defensive front.

A new right-back could arrive if Reece James suffers another injury setback, however Maresca could simply trust Acheampong with a more prevalent role.

Midfielders

Chelsea have a very settled midfield as things stand and this means that several expensive signings have been restricted to just a handful of minutes so far this campaign.

Maresca has admitted that Carney Chukwuemeka is likely to leave, while Cesare Casadei is “planning” on finding a new club and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could depart following his failed move from Leicester City.

Chelsea have spent big on Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, and with Andrey Santos set to be handed a major role upon his return from a loan spell at Strasbourg, the Blues are unlikely to sign a new central midfielder in January.

Forwards

Christopher Nkunku could be a high-profile departure if he pushes to leave Chelsea amid his lack of game time at Stamford Bridge.

Nicolas Jackson remains the Blues’ first-choice striker and although Maresca has revealed that Nkunku is best in an attacking midfield role, the undroppable Cole Palmer currently occupies that position.

As a result, he could leave in January, especially given the fact that Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United are both reportedly monitoring his situation in west London.

Victor Osimhen could arrive as Nkunku’s replacement, although it remains to be seen if Chelsea decide to buy a new forward, or if they opt to give Marc Guiu a larger first-team role.

Guiu himself could leave on loan in January, while a successor for Mykhailo Mudryk may be needed, depending on the verdict of his doping case.